Illia

Prolouge

Carson noticed as he walked through the dark purple grass that the air was stale and still, contrary to how the dead trees shook fiercely. He hadn't meant to stumble so far into the forest and he hadn't meant to go against his mother's wishes. But the young prince was too curious not to explore the soft humming guiding him further into the damp brush. The humming filled his ears and intruded into his mind and the space around him. He could no longer faintly hear the calls of his name from the edge of the forgotten forest.

"Carson!" The queen grabbed zir arm and pulled him away from the pitch-black hole in the tree from which he was now only a couple of steps. When had he gotten there? When he heard his mother's voice the humming stopped and instead was replaced by a sharp screech. Carson collapsed to the ground with his hands pressed against his ears but it didn't stop. It was still in his mind, It wouldn't go away. Even after the prince had fallen insensible it still rang in the corners of his subconscious.

Two days later, Carson awoke in his bed, there was no humming or screeching now. He looked around his familiar chambers. The voices were gone but the silence wasn't. And it was deafening.

Ze sat up and winced hard when a sharp pain shot through his leg. What in the world could that be? He thought. He pulled the blanket away to get a look. Part of him, even years later, wished he hadn't.
He wished he hadn't wondered, he wished he hadn't looked. The leg wouldn't have been brought back, however. It was gone. From the middle of his left thigh and below his leg was gone. Nothing but a memory remained; all he could do was sit there and cry.

Carson had never felt so helpless in his whole life up until that moment. The queen was informed the moment it was discovered her son was awake, and only minutes after Carson saw the nurse leave did he see his mother rush to his bedside. She pulled him into a tight embrace and held him close to her chest. Carson could feel the warm tears dampening his shoulder while he let his mother cry into him. The two didn't speak. They couldn't. Carson couldn't get a single word out despite the abundance of questions flooding his mind.

What had happened? Why wasn't his leg there anymore? What happened after he passed out? Carson never got any clear answers to these questions. They were only ever vague responses. Something had swallowed his leg and he had passed out from the shock. They treated his leg the best they could after they took him back but it was ultimately futile. He never got more than that no matter how hard he pushed.

Even eight years later he never got a proper answer but now it wasn't his primary concern. Once he had become old enough to properly begin learning how to take over the kingdom his lessons and meetings were its top priority.

The loss of his leg had just become something he had learned to live with. It was how it was and there wasn't anything he could do about it. The prince had known that years ago but that of course didn't stop the memories from returning. Even now, on his way to a class, it was all he could then think about.

"Your majesty? Is everything alright?" Carson looked up to meet the gaze of his head guard, Kyra. He nodded simply but didn't offer any verbal answers. The green-haired woman simply nodded back but her partner, Steven, was expecting more of a reply so he decided to push.

"Your highness, are you sure? That didn't seem like a very sure answer." Carson noticed how Kyra shot a look at the man and smiled faintly.

"I'm fine Steven. Thank you for your concern though." He then shifted his gaze back down to his clothed legs.

And with that sentence, the conversation drifted off back into silence. With the sudden lack of discussion, Carson found itself looking out the window on the left side of the carriage. They had arrived in town now and the prince could see the village houses growing closer. The clear waters of the pond remained encased by the small, bustling city, and in the center of the buildings and the pond stood the giant statue of their god Morstela.